This week we began reading texts during the time of Romanticism. One of the texts that we went over was "The Cast of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, a man by the name of Montressor attempts to murder a man that had been driving him crazy. His attempts were subtle yet wicked. He used the best interests of Fortunato against him. He took advantage of Fortunato's excessive passion for wine. I think that this reflects what Poe went through in his life. Throughout his life, he went through several calamities that effected him. For example, when he was young, the man that had taken him under his wing had several quarrels with Poe, so Poe tried to get as far away from his as possible. In the Cast of Amontiallado Poe portrays what the narrator tried to do in the same way that he attempted in his life. By murdering Fortunato, the narrator was able to keep him away forever.
Overall, what a person experiences in their life will effect the way that they write. Poe is an example of exactly that.
I agree with your statement that "what a person experiences in their life will effect the way they write. Poe is an example of exactly that". It also connects to the period of Romanticism itself, which Poe was apart of, seeing as this was a time of extreme expression and emotion. This was evident in a lot of his works, outside of "The Cast of Amontillado" such as his various poems. That (emotion & expression) is what is often incorporated into poetry, and we can see this through Poe. He exemplifies what people in this time seemed to stylize their writing as, and an aspect of poetry itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Fatima has to say. One correction is that it is the CASK of Amontillado. I also feel that Romanticism is the time for expression and emotion. Several poets such as Poe and Dickinson wrote about events in their lives. For example, Dickinson's poem Who am I? refers to a person that feels alone in the world. This was reflective of her own life, as she was extremely asocial and wouldn't ever step out of her home. Due to this example as well as your great reference to the story, I have to say that I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your statement about how Poe's work reflected his life because I believe that the thing that makes Poe's work special is how its meanings tie into his life and into other people's lives too. He writes about the struggles of everyday life for ordinary people in his poetry and that is what makes his poems relate able, at least to me. Overall I think your connection to "Cask of Amontillado" and his relationship with his guardian is very insightful and very probable.
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